Rutgers basketball's struggles are testing Steve Pikiell's principles
PISCATAWAY – If you were looking for fire and brimstone from Steve Pikiell after Rutgers basketball’s embarrassing loss to Penn State Wednesday, you don’t know the eighth-year head coach that well.
Pikiell doesn’t point fingers at his players, preferring to shoulder the blame when his team struggles.
In this case, he’s right.
The Scarlet Knights did not lack effort in the shocking 61-46 loss to the Big Ten’s worst-rated team. They held Penn State to 38 percent shooting and owned a rebounding edge until Pikiell switched to a diminutive lineup for much of the second half in an attempt to respond to the Nittany Lions’ disruptive ball pressure. It was a gambit that didn't work.
Steve Pikiell: 'We really need to figure this out'
Bigger picture, the head coach has to own an offense that is now ranked 300th in the nation in efficiency – the second-worst among high-majors (ahead of only Notre Dame, which is under new management). The Big Ten’s next-worst offense, Maryland’s, is ranked 159th.
“I’m going to look at everything, quite honestly,” he said. “We need to really figure this out and it’s on me. The good part is I’ve done it before, and I need to figure this out in a great league. One hundred percent we’ll be looking at everything.”
Pikiell didn’t shank a point-blank layup in the open court (that was leading scorer Aundre Hyatt). He didn’t brick 11 of 22 free throws or 16 of 17 3-point attempts. He didn’t turn the ball over 20 times, the most by the program since 2019. The lack of offensive cohesion is due in no small part to the late-offseason defections of postgrad guards Paul Mulcahy and Cam Spencer, who were penciled in for big roles.
The underlying issue is that Pikiell has lost a tool in his toolbox. His ability to develop players and build connectedness over time, well-honed over 319 career victories, is blunted by the onset of free agency in the sport.
How to compensate? He’s experimented with player combinations, rotations and substitution patterns way more this season than ever before, failing to find a comfort zone. He benched veterans Hyatt and Mawot Mag for much of the second half Wednesday (Mag’s knee has been troublesome). He’s upped the tempo to match his personnel as promised – Rutgers is playing much faster than it did during the previous four, mostly good seasons – but ball security, ball-sharing and decisive shot-making are suffering. Offensively, the Scarlet Knights look like a bunch of strangers as the calendar turns to February.
Pikiell is allowed to have a down season – a transition season, if you prefer. He’s banked plenty of equity after raising the program from the ashes and doing it with class. But next season will bring more roster turnover and two five-star freshmen who are likely one-and-done players. It's fair to wonder if he can get everyone, no matter how talented, on the same offensive page in a matter of months. The multi-year build-up Pikiell had mastered, sadly, might be a thing of the past.
He's certainly capable of adjustment; the sport was not static during his first 18 years as a head coach. Does that mean altering his preferred 10-man rotation, which works when everyone’s role is established but doesn’t necessarily foster flow when guys are still figuring each other out? Does it mean seeking outside help from an offensive mind? Does it mean living with less defense for more firepower?
It does not mean giving up on this season, although things look bleak at 10-10. Rutgers is better than it showed against Penn State. This squad pummeled Indiana, out-toughed Seton Hall, outgunned Nebraska and pushed second-ranked Purdue to the brink. On Saturday they visit a program, Michigan, whose problems dwarf the Scarlet Knights'.
“I just don’t think we were confident today,” sophomore guard Derek Simpson said. “We do the right things in practice. I think we can have a little bit better focus.”
There was no fire and brimstone in the postgame locker room, either.
“I hate it being like that, quiet,” Simpson said.
Like the vast majority of Pikiell’s players through the years, Simpson is a good guy. College basketball players are increasingly pegged as mercenaries, and some of them are, but the Mount Laurel native felt genuinely bad for the 8,000 fans who came ready to rock.
“Thank you for showing up,” he said. “On my way here, on my scooter, I saw all the people waiting outside. I’m sorry we couldn’t get it done, fans."
Simpson ended his interview with the truth about the team and its coach.
“We can do better,” he said.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball: Steve Pikiell principles tested by struggles
